Sun to Flip its Magnetic Field Soon During 11-Year Solar Peak

It turns out that our sun is ramping up its activity. The massive magnetic field of our closest star is about the flip, heralding the peak of the 11-year solar cycle.

This flip isn't anything unusual. During the peak of the sun's solar cycle, the star's inner magnetic dynamo reorganizes itself. Essentially, the sun's polar magnetic fields weaken, go to zero and then emerge with the opposite polarity. The current change will mark the midpoint of Solar Cycle 24, which means half of the "solar max" will still be on its way.

"It looks like we're no more than three to four months away from a complete field reversal," said Todd Hoeksema of Stanford University in a news release. "This change will have ripple effects throughout the solar system."

The domain of the sun's magnetic influence, known as its heliosphere, extends billions of miles beyond Pluto. This means that any changes to the field's polarity are felt even by the Voyager probes, which are on the doorstep of interstellar space.

During field reversals, the current sheet becomes very wavy. This current sheet is a sprawling surface jutting outward from the sun's equator where the sun's slowly rotating magnetic field induces an electrical current. These waves are a bit like the undulations to the seams on a baseball. As the Earth orbits the sun, we dip in and out of the current sheet. Transitions from one side to another can stir up stormy space weather around our planet.

What is this space weather? It can include everything from coronal mass ejections to solar flares. The sun can hurl billions of particles into space which, when directed toward the Earth, can affect satellites and communications. In addition, these solar particles can supercharge the Aurora, creating a spectacular light show.

Now, it seems that this change is imminent. New data has revealed that the sun's two hemispheres are out of sync, which means that we're quickly approaching the peak of the solar cycle.

"The sun's north pole has already changed sign, while the south pole is racing to catch up," said Phil Scherrer of Stanford University in a news release. "Soon, however, both poles will be reversed, and the second half the solar max will be underway."

Want to learn more about the sun's magnetic field? Check out the video below, courtesy of YouTube.